Reflecting on a survey of a municipality website using practitioner based inquiry

Local government websites in South Africa are evolving unlocking their potential for serving their citizenry and as a catalyst towards service delivery of electronic government services. Usability testing is an invaluable tool for evaluating interfaces. In this review article, a discussion is made of a recent usability pilot survey for a selected local government website (eThekwini Municipality's website at www.durban.gov.za) and from an information systems (IS) practitioner based inquiry perspective, discusses this exploratory research. Inquiry that is practice-based is an essential tool for an IS practitioner when undertaking research in his workplace environment. This generates ‘practical' and meaningful practitioner based knowledge for the organisation. When reflecting on a survey of a municipality website, the article concludes that knowledge has become an integral part of the professional IS practitioner's research strategies through active involvement in the generation of knowledge.